REVIEW: Trouble with X
Only two years ago, The W's were a struggling band of Oregon State University students, who scraped together enough dough to record "a cruddy little demo tape" (their words) and plug said tape at whatever gigs they could scare up. In late November 1997, they got wind that there was a slot open at a Five Iron Frenzy record release party in San Francisco. So they made their way down to the Bay Area and impressed the "suits" (well, actually, Frank Tate) at Five Minute Walk Records with their energetic hybrid of punk, rockabilly, and swing. By July of last year, the band's debut, Fourth from the Last, was in the racks and its first single, "The Devil Is Bad," was lighting up the airwaves. The band capped its first year in the big leagues by picking up two Dove Awards and opening a 65-city tour for dcTalk.So, where do you go from there? Back to the studio, of course! The result is Trouble With X, a musically mature follow-up that should help to silence those ready to consign The W's to the "One Hit Wonder" bin. Along with the swing and rockabilly influences prevalent on their debut, The W's add a touch of blues, ragtime, and little of their punk roots into the mix. "Rather Be Dead" may seem an odd title for a love song, but that's the swinging, Squirrel Nut Zippers-influenced tune that opens the disc. That track is only the first example of how a scathing sense of humor continues to be the cornerstone of many of The W's songs. Although the band does occasionally resort to yuks just for sake of yuks (how else to you explain the presence of a cover version of John Denver's "Country Roads"?), more often than not, their barbs have a rather sharp point. "Hit 'Em Where It Hurts" finds the band fantasizing about what a great place the world would be if everyone fit "a perfect mold like me," while "Tip From Me" takes the opposite tack, lamenting just how un-Christ-like we can often be. Satan (remember him, the antagonist of "The Devil is Bad" fame?) makes a return appearance, this time in the guise of a "Used Car Salesman--"He's got a line for everyone/he'll treat you like his daughter or son/Hey, wait! Don't go for that bait." By now, you've probably heard about "The Rumor Weed," The W's contribution to VeggieTales' folklore. But the band tops even VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer's wacky sense of humor with "Stupid," penned by Five Iron Frenzy's Dennis Culp (also responsible for several of the album's brilliant horn arrangements.) Although the track seems almost cruel at first (an absent-minded granny accidentally nukes her dog in a microwave oven), the vicious wit is ultimately turned on we believers"--"Some people pound their Bibles/waving them at their rivals…Stupid, that is stupid/no you can't say that is smart…Lord we could use a change of heart." On Trouble with X, The W's display a relaxed confidence that allows them to stretch their musical muscles without it seeming like they're playing above their ability. Not the perfect album, but several steps closer! --Bruce A. Brown